The Breakup: A Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang Story
by ladyjadeite
Summary: Why is it you never appreciate something until you've almost lost it? Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang, with Fleur Delacour, Roger Davies, Terrence Higgs, misc. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Set during Goblet of Fire, GoF, cdcc, cedriccho, chocedric
1. The Breakup

**Title:** The Break-up  
**Summary:** _Why is it that you never appreciate something until you've (almost) lost it?_  
**Characters:** Cedric Diggory x Cho Chang, Fleur Delacour, Terrence Higgs, Roger Davies, misc. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Author's Note:** a response to iateaburgerrrrr's prompt: Break-up, and could be a "deleted" scene from GoF for Quiet Charm's challenge; it is another side to teenage/young love and heartache. If the Yule Ball was in December, and the Second Task was in February, the story starts in January and continues through (and after) the Second Task. (BTW, I'm having Terrence Higgs (he was Seeker for Slytherin before Malfoy) as Year 7, although who knows? he could've been Year 5 or 6; and I'm just giving names to supporting/minor characters.) Oh, and I can't do Fleur's accent justice, so I'm writing her without one - if you must, just imagine her accent, okay:)

0  
The Break-up

by

jadeiteslady (aka ladyjadeite)

0

It all started with the rumors. That Fleur Delacour fancied him - Cedric Diggory - of all people. And that Harry Potter fancied her - Cho Chang. And it didn't help that he was one of the school's champions. If anything, it just made the gossip around him grow more rampant. But Cedric tried his hardest to ignore everyone. He tried to focus on _her_. Her innocent and confused expression when he asked her about Harry. The way she told him that she _trusted_ him even when her friends pointed out Fleur's advances. He trusted her too, knew in his heart that she wouldn't betray him, but the seed had been planted and he didn't know how to _un-plant_ it.

The library should have been a sanctuary. Madame Pince was quite strict with the 'no-talking' / 'no-socializing' rule and seemed to have eyes everywhere. So, how in the _hell_ could it have happened? One minute, he was studying Advance Transfigs and the next, Fleur had cornered him among the stacks. And she had turned on her Veela charm to max. Her perfume was overwhelming, and he felt dizzy. She was reeling him toward her - literally - as she managed to pull him by his tie. She smothered his lips with hers and he was stunned.

The moment he pulled away, he could feel someone watching him. And it felt as if time had slowed and his heart wrenched in ear-pounding beats. Cho was there. Her eyes filling with tears and her hand muffling her mouth. She ran. And he ran after her.

She wasn't watching where she was going. All thoughts were directed at escape. To the Ravenclaw tower where he could not follow. He kept calling after her, but she could not hear his pleads. In her mind, she kept repeating what she saw. How the rumors made sense. How Marietta told her that he was a _boy_ and that all boys were only after _one_ thing. And that it shouldn't be a surprise since he had already gotten _it_ from her.

She wasn't watching... and she missed her steps. And the _blasted_ stairs started their ritual rotation linking different floors. And she fell. He screamed, but she only felt the marble underneath her body as she rolled downwards.

And so here they were. In the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had bandaged her, healed the broken bones and bruises within minutes, but forced her to stay overnight to regain her strength.

"Cho..." She heard her name, knew who was speaking to her, and tried to open her eyes.

"Cedric, what are you doing here?"

"You fell, and..."

"Cedric." Cho took a deep breath. "You don't have to take care of me anymore."

"But I want to..."

"I know I can be clumsy. I _am_ the seeker with the most injuries to date." She gave a half-smile. "And you feel the need to be chivalrous. But you don't have to anymore."

"Cho..."

"Cedric, I think we should break-up." Tears were already forming in her eyes but she gulped them back. Cedric could feel his own fall freely down his chin. "That way, you can be free to be with whoever you want."

"I want to be with you." He tried, but she shook her head.

"You only _think_ that because we've been together for so long." She wiped her face. "And you've just grown _used_ to _us_. You feel _comfortable_ with us. You're really not _in love_ with me anymore."

"I am!" Cedric protested. "If you'll just let me explain..."

"You don't have to explain."

"I want to." Cedric cried. When she didn't interrupt him, he tried. "It was Fleur, and her Veela charm..."

Even that sounded like a _lame_ excuse to him. "I didn't mean for it to happen. It just did." _Nice one, Diggory, just prove to her you're an arse._ "I mean... it happened so suddenly..." _Try again, Diggory._ "I'm sorry. Please, Cho..."

He couldn't think of anything to say that would take everything back. Her face looked crushed, and he was sure his mirrored hers. Madam Pomfrey tapped him on the shoulder, motioning for him to leave, and he reluctantly stood. He wanted desperately to hear her call for him, to say that everything was _okay_ but she didn't. As he walked out the doors, he heard her whisper... _"I'm sorry, too."_


	2. Aftermath

Cho did her best to avoid Cedric, and being surrounded by a group of giggling girls started to have its benefits. But rumors started spreading again, and the news of their break-up was the hottest flame burning. It wasn't as if she wanted everyone to know. She had only told Marietta and their two friends, Erica and Whitney, who shared the same bedroom (they saw her crying and naturally wanted to know what had happened and everything had spilled out), but she did not give them permission to air her dirty laundry. Still, it eventually snowballed, and with the few people who had witnessed and guessed -both correctly and incorrectly- what had happened in the library - the fire was in full force.

Cedric tried -to his credit- to talk to her at first. But her friends either shielded her and pulled her away, or blatantly sneered at him. Once, he found her alone at the owlery one evening, but the conversation didn't go as he had hoped.

_"Cho..." He blocked her exit as she tried to pass. "Can we just talk?"_

"Not now." She didn't look at him, kept her gaze fixed at the stairs behind him.

"When, then?" His voice was raw and he stepped closer to her. She took a step back.

"I.. I don't know." She bit her lip.

"Please, Cho." He tried. "Just tell me a time, any day, and I'll meet you."

"I'm... I'm sor... sorry, Cedric." The tears she had been fighting started trickling down her face. "It... it just... hurts... so much... right now."

She pushed past him, and he didn't stop her.

He felt awful, and though the guys tried to wave it off as _nothing_, their words did not make him feel better.

_"Oh, come on, Cedric." One would say. "It's just Cho. There are plenty of other pretty girls in Hogwarts."_

"And lots of pretty girls from Beauxbatons." Another would chime in.

"Besides, she's just being unreasonable. It's not like she caught you two shagging or something..."

"Girls are too emotional."

"You're better off being single. More opportunities to snog pretty girls."

Cedric sighed. To top it all, the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs were at odds. Not that their dating brought their houses unity, but their break-up seemed to add a little animosity to the atmosphere. And the Slytherins were loving it.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he could have moped around Hogwarts in silence. But one weekend, Fleur (and most of the Hufflepuff males) persuaded him to take her to Hosgmeade and give her a tour. And ever-so-polite and helpful, Cedric could not find an excuse to turn her down. He tried to tell her that he didn't feel well -_actually, he felt quite miserable_- but she said she'd do her best to cheer him up.

So, they went. And they talked. Mainly about Beauxbatons, and about France. Cedric pointed out the shops, made the appropriate replies to her questions and comments, but it was all automatic politeness. His heart wasn't _into_ it and his mind was elsewhere. It was like a standard guidebook tour, completely uninteresting and uneventful. That was until they stepped out of Honeydukes. Just as Fleur started to bite into a chocolate frog, she screamed. He looked at her, startled.

"What!"

She screamed again, pointing to her nose. It started growing larger and larger. She waved frantically, her eyes widening as she noticed warts popping all over her hands.

A crowd gathered, and everyone started to laugh. Only Cedric looked concerned and he looked from her to the crowd. Giving them credit, his fellow Hufflepuffs tried to look sympathetic, hiding their laughter behind their hands, but the other three houses were in hysterics, laughing so hard they were crying. He noticed Erica and Whitney high-fiving each other, and Cho trying to peer over their shoulders. She was biting her lip, trying hard not to laugh herself, when she disappeared from his sight.

He ordered Summerby and Cadwallader to take Fleur back to Hogwarts -and to the Hospital Wing- before taking to foot. It took him a while, but he managed to squeeze himself through the blockade of Ravenclaws and quicken his pace. Cho was somewhere in Hogsmeade, and maybe if he was lucky, he would be able to talk to her without her friends in audience.

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_Just a moment ago..._

"There you are." Cho caught up to her friends, a bit breathless and pink from her run. Terrence Higgs was right behind her, not quite as flushed. She handed Roger his gloves, answering his surprised look. "You left them in the Great Hall."

Laughter ensued and Cho looked confused. Beyond Erica's shoulders, she could see Fleur waving frantically. "What's going on?"

"Fleur is discovering she's not so beautiful after all." Whitney laughed. She high-fived Erica.

"You guys... you didn't..." Cho was dumbfounded.

Both girls tried to look innocent, but then simply went for the justified look. "Well, she did _diss_ Roger, too..."

Cho looked at Roger and he held his hands up. "I never said that."

Cho felt a tug at her elbow. Terrence's voice was low. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."

"But..."

"Good idea." Roger approved. "Cedric looks steamed. And Fleur looks ready to kill. Get her out before they think _you_ had something to do with this."

"But I didn't..." Cho's voice trailed off as Terrence pulled her away.

0

"You knew that was going to happen, didn't you?" Cho asked Terrence after they managed to slip into one of the narrow alleys and farther away from the crowd. They sat down on a bench on the outskirts of town, bordering the snow-covered glen. "That's why you dragged me to Hogsmeade."

"I had an idea." His eyes twinkled.

"But why..."

"They're your friends, Cho." He said. "That's what friends do."

"I didn't ask them to..."

"Which makes them want to do it more." Terrence said. He looked at her seriously for a moment. "I don't know what he sees in her."

Cho was startled. "What do you mean? She's gorgeous." Her tone turned wistful. "And she's smart. And she's got that sexy accent the boys rave about. She's perfect."

He snorted. "I suppose you think you're chopped liver then?"

She sighed. "How can I compare?"

"Cho." Terrence looked at her seriously. "You have to snap out of this."

She didn't say anything, merely gave a sad shrug. She placed her elbows on her knees, and her cheeks in her hands. He looked at her for a moment, and then copied her posture. He turned to her.

"Cho," he said. "There are plenty of guys waiting in line just to have a chance with you."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

He rubbed his chin in mock-thought and chuckled. "Considering it's _you_ we're talking about, probably not. But you and Cedric are - excuse me, _were_ - the bubblegum couple. He has friends who are girls, you have friends who are guys, but neither of you were jealous about it. I guess, I'm just surprised that you haven't just _forgiven_ him."

"I want to." Cho murmured. Tears started to swell again, and she watched them drop into the snow under her feet. "But it just _hurts_ when I think about it."

"And you want him to hurt as much as you do?"

"Would I be a Slytherin if I said I did?" Cho grimaced. She wiped her face with the back of her hands. "At first, I did. But now, I... I just want the pain to go away."

Terrence abruptly stood and pulled her up. "I have an idea. Come on."

She didn't protest, but she dragged her feet with each step towards the clearing. He set her in the center and took a couple steps back.

"Take out your wand." He commanded. She raised an eyebrow, sighed, but followed suit.

"What is this for?"

"You should know that your wand responds to you." Terrence said. "This way, it'll help you express those feelings you have bottled up inside. Releasing those feelings will help you feel better."

"If you say so." She didn't seem quite as convinced. She kept her wand pointed down at the ground. "Why are you helping me, Terrence?"

"Because I like you, Cho." He answered. Before she could ask, he continued. "I won't play second fiddle to Cedric, and I won't wait forever and a day for you, but who knows what will happen in the future?"

"But..."

"Cho, I didn't tell you that to give you more to think about." He waved it off. "Right now, our friendship suits me just fine. Though, I do think Cedric isn't worth your time."

"I don't want you to hurt him."

He laughed. "You give me too much credit. I'm not as chivalrous as a Gryffindor, and you wouldn't need me to be. Not when you could whistle for your quidditch team and they'd gladly pound Cedric into the pitch for you."

She hiccuped on her tears. "I don't want them to do that."

"What do you want then?"

"I already told you." She took out a handkerchief and dabbed her nose. "I want the pain to go away."

"Hogwarts discourages the use of memory charms for trivial matters..." Terrence said slowly. "But what they don't know won't hurt them."

She looked at him, a bit of fear yet desperation in her eyes. Light blue sparks flickered from her wand, freezing the snow on the ground into shards of ice. He saw her Ravenclaw mind frantically debating the idea. She resigned with a slump of her shoulders. "No, that wouldn't be right."

"If you don't want revenge, and you don't want to forget, then maybe you should just forgive him." Terrence said. "Then, you can move on."

"I... I don't know how to." Her wand sent the snow swirling around her feet. "Everything that... everything that I believed... about him... It feels like... everything was a lie."

The tears that fell from her face transformed into snowflakes as the light from her wand sparkled. She choked back another sob. "I don't know... what to believe. Cedric... he's... not... the type that would do this. But... but he did."

Her knees gave way and she fell to the ground. She didn't pay attention to the chill under her legs, or the snowflakes floating around. She stared at the immense white field ahead. "It just... hurts."

Terrence sat next to her and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. She didn't say another word; she didn't want to _think_. She didn't want to _feel_. So, she stared at the blank nothingness. She didn't know Cedric had followed. She didn't know that he had heard and seen everything.


	3. Second Chance

It didn't surprise him when Cho didn't wish him luck on the Second Task. He expected her -although he wished otherwise- to stay in the castle and avoid the lake altogether. But when he swam to the bottom of the lake, it surprised him - _hell, it shocked him_ - to find she was one of the hostages.

He was quick, the first champion to return to the platform, but the Tournament was the farthest thing on his mind. He quickly wrapped Cho in a blanket, was about to offer her his blanket as well when Madam Pomfrey interceded with two cups of hot chocolate.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded, half-shivering, pulling the blanket tighter.

"If I had known..."

"... you would have chosen someone else?"

"No!" His tone was sharp and she was taken aback. He softened his expression. "I just meant... I didn't want to put you through _that_. I wish I had some kind of warning..."

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss._ The chant of the merpeople reeled in his mind. He had already lost her love, and he could live with _that_. But to lose her completely...

"I... I don't know what I would do without you..." He murmured, turning away to look back at the lake. She didn't know what to say.

0

"Did you see the way Viktor Krum looked at Hermione Granger?" Cho didn't bother to look up as Erica and Whitney entered the bedroom. They sat down, pulled their pillows out from under the covers, and hugged them to their chests. They didn't notice Cho's mood, as it really hadn't changed since her row with Cedric, and continued to chat amongst themselves.

"It was so romantic." Whitney sighed dreamily. "It's like he _loves_ her."

"She was the one he'd _miss_ the most." Erica echoed the sigh. "I wish that could have happened to me."

They giggled, and Cho tuned their voices out.

0

"Cedric?" Fleur's voice caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand. He sighed, flipping to the next page in his book. He was in the library, doing his Advanced Charms homework, alone at a desk between the stacks. She had found him there before, he remembered very clearly, but he wondered how he could make it more painfully obvious that he wanted to be _alone_. That was why he chose that desk instead of sitting with his friends at one of the large tables in the center of the library.

"Hello, Fleur." He marked the book with his hand and looked up politely. He really didn't want to talk but his manners had been ingrained since birth and he remained a gentleman. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"I know we haven't known each other for very long..." Fleur said. "But I _like_ you and..."

"Fleur." He interrupted her, trying to save her from continuing. "I'm flattered. I really am. But I only like you as a friend. Nothing more. I'm sorry."

"I see." Fleur became quieter. "Is it Cho?"

"Yes. I love her." Cedric said. "I still do."

"Even though she's moved on?"

"Yes." He turned back to his book, sensing her disappear from his peripheral vision.

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Fleur found Cho standing on the shore of the lake, staring at the diving platform erected for the second task. The latter seemed serious in thought, not bothering to acknowledge the former's presence. Fleur cleared her throat.

"Champions could not choose each other as their loved one for the second task." She spoke up.

"Naturally. That would be unreasonable." Cho said matter-of-factly. Her gaze remained fixed on the lake.

Fleur stared at her. "If you love him, why don't you fight for him?"

"You can't force someone to love you. You can't make someone feel something he doesn't." Cho said. Then, she amended her thought. "Unless you use the Imperius Curse, or love potions... but then that wouldn't be real love."

She turned to Fleur with surprisingly a forgiving smile. "If he loves you, treasure it. Treasure him. Maybe, I didn't tell him as often as he wanted to hear it."

As Cho walked away, Fleur spoke again, her words warming the air. "He loves you."

Fleur gave her a small smile and nodded. A light brightened in Cho's eyes. She returned the smile and left.

0

In the library, Cedric continued to bury himself in his work. It was the only way he could keep his mind occupied. Even flying would remind him of her, and right now, he just didn't want to _think_. Moments passed. In the middle of his Potions homework, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he felt his irritation rise. He continued to stare at his book.

"Fleur. I'm sorry. I'm just not interested." He said. The hand remained and he turned... surprised to see Cho behind him. He rose suddenly, almost knocking his chair into the next stack.

"Cho?"

"Cedric..." She kept her eyes fixed on his tie for the longest time. He kept silent, unsure of what to say, afraid she would run from him again if he did the wrong thing.

Her gaze lifted and she took a slow step towards him. She was trembling and tears started falling silently down her face. When she placed her hand against his cheek, he sucked in his breath. Her voice was quiet and hesitant. "Cedric... do you think we can 'un-break-up'?"

"_Oh God_, yes." He pulled her closer and crushed his lips to hers before she could change her mind. When he pulled away, his face was wet and he wasn't sure if it was her tears or his own.

"Cho... I never meant to hurt you..." She placed a finger on his lips and then buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her.

"I missed you so much." She said.

"Me too." His words were muffled by her hair. They stood that way for a long time, holding each other, until she pulled herself away from him.

"Let's get out of here." She took his hand in hers and he nodded. Without another word, they left the library together leaving the gossip mongrels to whisper the news amongst themselves.

The end


End file.
